PLAYING KEEP AWAY BALL CONTROL, TURNOVERS KEY TO CAROLINA’S CONTINUED DOMINANCE OVER CLEMSON
Junior linebacker Kaiwan Lewis forces Clemson’s Adam Humphries to fumble during the fourth quarter of last year’s Carolina-Clemson game at Williams-Brice Stadium. South Carolina has won five straight contests against Clemson. photo by Travis Bell / Sideline Carolina
BY SCOTT HOOD
A
rguably, one play in 2009 flipped the momentum in the South Carolina-Clemson rivalry, and the Gamecocks have managed to keep a solid grip on it for the past five years.
C.J. Spiller’s 88-yard return for a touchdown on the opening kickoff of the Palmetto Bowl five years ago had already put the Tigers ahead 7-0, and Clemson drove to just outside of the red zone, eyeing a two-touchdown advantage over Carolina. On first-and-10 from the South Carolina 24, Clemson running back Jamie Harper, who took a handoff from quarterback Kyle Parker, was belted by Gamecock safety Akeem Auguste and fumbled. Carolina defensive and Eric Norwood scooped up the ball and returned it 14 yards to the Gamecock 40. Moments later, Stephon Gilmore, playing quarterback in the wildcat formation, hurled a pass to a leaping Alshon Jeffery for a 39-yard completion, bringing the Gamecocks to the Clemson 8-yard line. From there, Brian Maddox took an option pitch and scored from one yard out to even the score at 7-7 with more than five minutes remaining in the first quarter. Carolina went on to win the game, 34-17, and nothing in the Palmetto rivalry has been the same since. Prior to 2009, Clemson had won 10
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of the teams’ previous 12 meetings. But Carolina carries a five-game winning streak into Saturday’s rivalry renewal at Memorial Stadium in the Upstate. What factors have sustained the Gamecocks’ longest winning streak in the history of the rivalry? Mainly: ball control and aggressive, opportunistic defense. Call it “The Clemson Strategy.” Steve Spurrier loves to throw the football, but when he faces the Tigers, he has stayed grounded and engaged in a high-stakes game of keep-away. During the five-game winning streak, Carolina has averaged 186.8 rushing yards and 48.4 rushing attempts per game. Three times the Gamecocks have called at least 50 rushing plays: 58 in 2009 (proving the trend began even before Marcus Lattimore joined the program); 53 in 2011; and 50 in 2013. Overlapping the emphasis on the run game has been Carolina’s success on third downs in the last few years against Clemson. In the last three Palmetto Bowls, the Gamecocks have converted 50 percent (29of-58) of their third-down opportunities. What is the consequence of accentuating
the run and converting half of your third down chances? A substantial advantage in time of possession and number of offensive plays. Carolina has controlled the ball for more than 34 minutes in each of the past five games. Three years ago, the Gamecocks held the ball for 37 minutes and 17 seconds, and ran 73 plays compared to Clemson’s 60. The gap in time of possession and number of plays peaked two years ago, when Carolina held the ball for a staggering 39 minutes and 58 seconds and ran 86 plays compared to Clemson’s 59. Believe it or not, Clemson actually ran more plays (40) than Carolina (35) did in the first half of that game. But the second half was thoroughly dominated by the Gamecocks, which controlled the ball for 23:19 of the 30 minutes. Clemson snapped the ball just 19 times in the second half as Carolina converted seven of 12 first down attempts, while Clemson was 0-for-4.
The quarterback for the Gamecocks that night in the Upstate? Current starter Dylan Thompson, who filled in for injured starter Connor Shaw and completed 23-of-41 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns. Carolina also ran the ball 45 times that night in their 27-17 victory, led by Kenny Miles’ 16 carries. “We were hoping it would be that kind of game,” Spurrier says. “I know they didn’t have many plays in the second half. We didn’t get a lot of yards for our 86 plays, but we did have clock. We had it for almost 40 minutes. That’s what we hoped would happen, so it sort of worked out the way we hoped.” Last year, Carolina controlled the ball for 38:09 and snapped the ball 78 times. Clemson ran just 57 plays, fewest in the past five years. “Amazingly, when we play these guys from Clemson, the script follows the same thing,” Spurrier said a year ago after Caro-
PREVIEW 33 OPPONENT CLEMSON OPINION: PICK SIX 35 DESIRE SHOULD PROPEL GAMECOCKS TO SIXTH STRAIGHT WIN OVER CLEMSON
usc VS. CLEMSON
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Junior linebacker Kaiwan Lewis sacks Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd during the second quarter quarter of last year’s Carolina-Clemson game at Williams-Brice Stadium. photo by Travis Bell / Sideline Carolina
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lina’s 31-17 win. “They had 57 plays and we had about 78. Somehow we made a bunch of third downs, early and late. The last few games versus Clemson are all very similar. They are all similar scores, and fortunately we got ahead enough so we could relax a little bit the last minute of the game.” During the current winning streak, the Gamecocks have averaged 76.6 offensive plays per game, 16.8 more plays per game than Clemson. As a result, the prolific Tigers offense has been kept on the sidelines watching Carolina march up and down the field. Clearly, the Clemson strategy has led to big wins: Carolina’s five straight Palmetto Bowl wins have been by a combined score of 155-71, an average victory margin of nearly 17 points. Turnovers have also played a significant role in Carolina’s success as well. Last year, the first time in the 111 years of the rivalry that both teams were ranked in the Associated Press Top 10, Carolina forced six Clemson turnovers, including four in the fourth quarter, when the Gamecocks outscored the Tigers 14-0 to snap a tie. Few statistics define the current state of the Carolina-Clemson rivalry better than this one: the turnover margin in favor of the Gamecocks is plus-12 (15-3) during the current five-game winning streak over the Tigers. The Tigers committed more turnovers in the fourth quarter alone in 2013 than the Gamecocks have in the past five years of the rivalry. Last year’s game marked the third time in the past five years the Tigers have committed three or more turnovers.
Clemson’s final four possessions of last year’s contest ended in a fumble by Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd on a would-be game-tying drive, a fumbled punt by Adam Humphries, and two fourth-quarter interceptions. “It’s always big anytime you get an opportunity to give your offense the ball back,” Carolina defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said after last year’s win over Clemson. “We were tough and turnovers came on special teams. They made some blunders. I thought the guys had started to play a lot more physical, so when you start to play a lot more physical and when you know what you’re doing, then you get the turnovers.” Defensively, the Gamecocks have had success getting to the quarterback, especially in the three games started by Boyd. The Gamecock defense registered 21 sacks during the five-game winning streak over Clemson, 16 of which came in the past three years. Has Carolina discovered the unshakable formula for beating Clemson? Perhaps. Certainly, Spurrier has realized in his decade-long tenure that winning the Palmetto Bowl is just as important as any postseason accolade. “Our fans realize there’s more to life than winning the SEC championship,” Spurrier says. “They really do. We’re in a state with Clemson. Clemson used to pretty much own South Carolina in football, no question about it. If you ask our fans at South Carolina, I can assure you a majority would say that we would rather beat Clemson than win the SEC. That is how big it is to them, that one game.”
usc VS. CLEMSON
AMERICA’S SMOOTHEST LAGER, NOW IN A NEW, RECLOSABLE BOTTLE NOVEMBER 26, 2014 | ISSUE no. 8
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“I’m gonna make Dabo an offer he can’t refuse.” 32 freetimes |
usc VS. CLEMSON
NOVEMBER 26, 2014 | ISSUE no. 8
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CLEMSON
Tigers Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference 2013 Record: 11-2 (7-1 ACC) 2014 Record: 8-3 (6-2 ACC) Series Record: Clemson leads, 65-42-4 Coach: Dabo Swinney Years as Coach: 5 Record at Clemson: 37-25 Last Meeting: Carolina 31, Clemson 17
(Nov. 30, 2014, in Columbia, South Carolina)
Returning Starters: 11 (7 offense,
4 defense)
THREE TO WATCH Deshaun Watson/ Cole Stoudt, quarterbacks
Vic Beasley, defensive end
Jayron Kearse, safety
Clemson’s offense is a tale of two quarterbacks. With freshman Deshaun Watson under center, the Tigers boast one of the ACC’s most complete, most potent attacks. Under senior Cole Stoudt, offensive coordinator Chad Morris’ system seizes up. Look no further for proof than Clemson’s near-upset of then-No. 1 Florida State in September. Stoudt was unable to turn three drives into points against the Seminoles; Watson’s spark nearly carried the Tigers to a win. But Watson’s battled injuries since: His hand healed before the Georgia Tech game, but he left the game after spraining his lateral collateral ligament. Stoudt promptly wet the bed, and the Tigers went down. Watson, clearly, gives Clemson the better opportunity to win — if he plays.
Clemson’s defense is particularly nasty. The Tigers rank second in the FBS in total defense, fourth in passing yards allowed, tie for second in first downs allowed and first in third down conversion percentage. Certainly, that’s in no small part due to the presence of beastly senior Vic Beasley on the defensive line. A unanimous preseason All-ACC first teamer and one of the nation’s premier pass rushers (if not the best), Beasley’s wreaked havoc in the backfield all year long, racking up 14.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Consider that the Gamecock O-line yielded two sacks to Missouri’s Shane Ray, a player who compares favorably to Beasley. Gulp.
Kearse is only a sophomore, but he’s already made himself an integral part of Clemson’s secondary. A third-team preseason AllACCer, Kearse has tallied 50 tackles and three sacks, and his work against the pass has been equally impressive — he boasts just one interception (no Clemson defender has more than two), but his 11 pass deflections and break-ups rank second on the team to senior cornerback Garry Peters’ 16. Also, football’s just in the dude’s blood: His uncle was All-American and All-Pro defensive end Jevon Kearse, and his cousin is former hardhitting NFL safety Phillip Buchanon. Dude can ball.
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usc VS. CLEMSON
Pick Six
Desire should propel Gamecocks to sixth straight win over Clemson OPINION BY JAMES HARLEY
M
uch of the Gamecock football talk in the past couple of weeks has been about bowl eligibility, but at this point it doesn’t matter. The team won’t be going to a high-profile bowl, and it won’t finish ranked in the Top 25. And while it would be nice to have that extra game, any bowl game will be far less meaningful than the contest this week at Clemson, where history can be made despite the overall mediocrity of the season. Of course, that mediocrity makes Carolina the underdog in the 112th meeting of the in-state rivals, but there is no reason to believe the Gamecocks can’t extend their series winning streak with a sixth consecutive win over the overrated Tigers. Well, perhaps overrated is not the best word to describe Clemson — how about shallow? The Tigers’ success has been largely the product of freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson, who left the Georgia Tech game with a minor knee injury. Without Watson in the game, Clemson’s lack of depth was exposed in a 28-6 whipping by the Yellow Jackets. They simply are not the same team without Watson. While it is likely that Watson will start against Carolina, whether or not he can play his heart out is a different matter. His strength is his mobility, the more of which he utilizes the more he puts himself in danger for injury. Even a minor injury could take Watson out
of his comfort zone and force him to rely on discipline more than instinct, a situation that might favor the Gamecocks. Just as Clemson is overrated, South Carolina is a bit underrated. Yes, the Gamecocks have blown several games in the final minutes, but this just means that they were a play or two away from victory. Most fans are, naturally, frustrated by such pants-s#!tting, but losing late is much less shameful than being whipped from the start and also indicates that the team can play acceptably well for at least three quarters. The Gamecocks really aren’t that bad — they have just failed at crucial moments. No opponent presents a better opportunity to rectify this than Clemson. Comparatively, Clemson definitely has the better résumé, with all of its losses coming to legitimate, ranked teams (Georgia, Florida State and Georgia Tech), while the Gamecocks choked against struggling programs like Kentucky and Tennessee. However, their one common opponent is testimony that Carolina, unlike Clemson, generally plays to the level of its competition regardless of quality. Consider: The Gamecocks took down Georgia 38-35 just a week after the Bulldogs trounced the Tigers by four scores, 45-21. Overall, it’s a coin-flip type of game, but considering that the Gamecocks will earn very little from any bowl victory, they have much more immediate reason to want this one than Clemson does. For Carolina, a win over its archrival would genuinely salvage the season. For Clemson — which has likely played its way out of Orange Bowl consideration — it would do little other than end an embarrassing streak that isn’t relevant to any current positioning. Desire should propel Carolina to victory. Gamecocks 24, Tigers 20.
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